There is a hideous, God-belittling lie in believing we’ve sinned ourselves beyond his sovereign mercy. For many of us, it’s not hard to see how our sin has brought pain or conflict or heartache into our lives. How could God possibly rescue me when I am the problem?

In just two minutes, John Piper confronts this kind of self-pity and pleads with us not to count ourselves out of the saving work of Christ. With powerful conviction and hope, he declares, “None of you may escape the good news.”

You can listen to Piper’s full message on Nehemiah 9–10 from the recent TGC National Women’s Conference. Here are three memorable quotes from that evening:

“God does not exist so that we would enjoy Bible stories. Bible stories exist so that we would enjoy God.”

“God slayed the most valuable person on the planet to show how much he hates sin and loves his glory.”

“One day, I will never sin again.”